Boot-tree



, Juy 2, 1935. G, C. THOMAS l 2,006,419

BOOT TREE Filed April 2l, 1953 i w k f" 3F-ig. 1 T12 Patented J'uiy 1935' y 'n Y 2,006,419' y BOOT-TREE l George C. Thomas, Swampscott, Mass., assigner to United Last Company, Portland, Mame, a; corporation of Maine Application April 21, 1933', serial No. 667,241 In Great Britain April 26, 1932 4 Claims. (Cl. 1,2--116) Thepresent invention relates to boot-trees, and which serves as a step bearing for a screw I8 'is illustrated as embodied in a tree for high ridhaving a handle 2B. `The screw I8 is threaded ing'boots. through a second block 22. The blocks lli,v 22 are Suchboots are close tting and require accurate Slii at their 10We1" and upper ende, respectively,

,5 treeing each time they are worn, if they are to and eaeh Carries e Del/if 0f tOggle'llnkS 24, 25, l'epreserve their shape. For the best results, it has Spectvely. These links are pivoted in their blocks always been regarded as necessary that such boots and one of each pair iS Pil/'Otefl t0 the DOTOD il should be treed on trees made especially to fit and the Other O f each Delli 130 the Dertien |2- 4them, :and such trees are expensive. Further, The liYlkS 24 dlVelge-dOWIlWaTdlY from the bleek m they fail to nt satisfactorily after the boot has I6 and the links 26 diverge `upwardlv from the 10 been stretched a, little inusg link 22. The blocks I6, 22 are both guided in slots The object of the present, invention is impro-. 28 iormedin the leg portions oi ther tree so that yvide a tree which will give satisfactory results they Slide freely but Cannet tllln- The links 2i with boots of reasonable variation in style and al'e PFOVided Willi inielmeslling geel' teeth 30.

1 after substantial wear. Accordingly, I have pro- When the SCieW la iS turned' t0' Separate the leg 15 vided a tree comprising front and rearv leg por- DOIODS the blOCkS lli, 22 aieOleed ferlheiepel tions, separable from each other, preferably, and and each pair of tOggle liIlkSll'fendS 110 move inte as illustrated herein,A by a toggle mechanism, the eellineel'y, blllfneiihel Peil iS OICed t0 take any separating mechanism being so arranged as to definite DOSiiiOIl- With any given Setting f the v permit relative rocking of the leg portions in a SCIeW I3, the leg DOIOHS l0, Zend the toggleS forwardly and rearwardly extending vertical Can takefa Variety of positions. In Fig- 1 they plane to enable them to fit the boot better are shown in a central position in full lines, and throughout its length, and also so arranged as` rocked.- intoone extreme position, with their upto prevent the relative up-ancl-down movement per ends together, in dot-and-dash lines, indibetween the leg parts which has Vitiated the usecated by primed numerals" on all vthe parts con- 25 fulness of prior constructions having the flexibilcerned. Thus a rocking movement in a forwardly ity mentioned; In the illustrated construction a and rearwardly extending vertical plane is perpair of toggle links are provided with interengagmitted to the leg portions, whereby they are ening teeth which compel themat all times to asabled to fit the boot leg better throughout its sume equiangular positions relatively to the axis length. .The gearing at 30, however, preventsl any 30 of the tree leg. n relative up-and-down movement between the leg These and otherfeatures of the invention comportions, and avoids any misshaping of the bootr prising certain combinations and arrangements leg due to failure to preserve theiralinement. i

Y of parts will be apparent from the following de- Having described my invention, what 1 claim as 35 SCI'PiiOrl 0f a Preferred embodiment of the innew and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the 35 vention shown in the drawing, in which United States is: f'

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly broken away; 1. A boot-tree having front and rear leg por-y and tions, and an expanding mechanism comprising Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section on the line two pairs of toggle links connecting the leg por- .f II--II of Fig. 1. tions and mechanism compelling a pair of the 4 40 (l The illustrated tree consists oi three portions, a toggle links in all adjusted positions tol maintain l frenileg Dertien l0, a feel" leg perierl l2, and e substantially equal angles with the vertical axis y l foot portion I4. y The first two are connected by of the tree leg. t s the toggle mechanism to be described and the foot 2. A kboot-tree having front and rear leg por- .45 portion is not connected to either of these. It is tions, andy an expanding mechanism comprising 45 v contemplated that the foot portion I4 will be apair of toggle links connecting the leg portions,V inserted Vby itself, and the leg portions dropped and toothed gearing between the toggle links to in behind it and expanded by the toggle mecheffect equal angular movements of said links' msm, i `throughout theirrange of movement when ex- The toggle mechanism comprises a block I6, panding the tree leg. 50

3. A boot-tree having front and rear leg portions, and an expanding mechanism comprising two pairs of toggle links connecting the leg portions and diverging in opposite directions, the

5 toggle links of one of the pairs having interengaging toothed gearing to eiect equal angular movements of said links when expanding the tree leg.

4. A boot-tree having front and rear leg portions, and an expanding mechanism comprising two pairs of toggle links connecting the leg p0rtions and screw and nut mechanism, and toothed gearing between the toggle links of one of the pairs to effect equal angular movements of said links when expanding the tree leg.

' GEORGE C. THOMAS. 

